Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

It's been a long time coming, but, at least as of Thurday morning, it appears that Jimmy Lake will be able to lead his team into battle this weekend as they play host to Oregon State. Considering the team has had an extra week to ponder things and continue to figure out their lineup and positional rotation groups, Lake said they have made the most of their opportunities to get better and he reflected on the last five weeks of growth for the team.

Lake was asked about the element of surprise that has come from an opponent and how long it takes to adjust to things in "real time" during the game and he said it's definitely an advantage for an offense when the defense comes in blind. Why is that? The first-year head coach said that offense dictates things and defenses need to react and that is definitely an advantage for the offense.

He also said that even with the cancellation of the Cal game, the players are 100% focused on playing the game and he is confident the game will be played and he expects nothing less from the team than being ready to go on Saturday night.

Asked about Sean McGrew playing on Saturday, Lake said McGrew has had an excellent training camp and is 100% ready to go, but he's also looking forward to seeing all of the backs that they have doing their thing.

This game also features two Chris Petersen coordinators -- Lake and Oregon State's Jonathan Smith -- and when he was asked about the familiarity between the two and if that gives either of them an advantage, Lake said Smith is a great offensive mind and he is sure there will be some tweaks and twists to things to give them something new to look at, so they will have to come ready to play no matter what happens.

To listen to the 15-minute podcast, click on the audio link below.

Is Ryan Bowman moonlighting as a fullback? Did Cade Otton really get engaged? Does Jaxson Kirkland's Dad really have a thing for Rocky?

These are the pressing issues of the day, and the media covered them all Wednesday, as they spoke with Otton and Kirkland ahead of Washington's game against Oregon State Saturday night at 8 pm.

Of course, there were questions asked about the opponent, whom they beat 19-7 in a very physical, defensive contest in Corvallis. Both Otton and Kirkland talked about what it was going to take to beat the Beavers again, including setting an aggressive tone and wearing out OSU in the second half with the run game.

Otton, who did recently propose to his long-time girlfriend, is more than ready to get a game going, as he talked about how the offense has just continued to focus on the task at hand. Last week it was California; now it's Oregon State.

And Kirkland talked about his own development at a new position (left tackle) former Huskies he's leaned on for guidance, and also how some of the younger players around him have shown growth during this topsy-turvy time.

The junior offensive lineman also talked about working out with his Dad, former UW offensive lineman Dean Kirkland, and how Dean's old-school ways meshed with Jaxson's new-school ways. Hint: the son isn't 100 percent sure the father lifted as much as he claims he did when he was at Montlake.

The battle continues!

As the Huskies continue to prepare for the start of their season this weekend against Oregon State, senior defensive backs Keith Taylor and Elijah Molden met with the media and talked about a number of subjects.

With Oregon State's small wide receiver Champ Flemings, Taylor said you can't really emmulate him in practice, but when it comes time to get used to his quickness and speed, he tries to face off against Jordan Chin to get a feel for what it's like to face off with that kind of electricity for an entire game.

Both were asked about the disappointment in not being able to play last week after preparing for their season to start and both said it was tough, but they can only control what they do in their building and that they need to stay focused and instead of focusing on the negative, they have chose to look ahead to getting ready for and preparing to play Oregon State this weekend.

Both were asked about the progress of Alex Cook and they liked what they have seen from him and think he'll do well in his new role while Julius Irvin is a guy who hasn't played much and both believe he has a chance to succeed now that he's back and fully healthy.

Speaking of teammates being fully healthy, Molden said he is encouraged about the progress of MJ Tafisi and how he's come to camp ready to work.

It was a Monday press conference Jimmy Lake didn't want to have, one that was focused on the cancelation of a game rather than what happened 48 hours earlier. While he was hoping to never have to address the media following a game being canceled, the first-year head coach said his team took things in stride and that he feels good about how the players handled the adversity.

With the Huskies' game at Cal canceled over the weekend, he and his staff will lead his players into their game for the first time this weekend against the Oregon State Beavers and he knows they will have their hands full with quarterback Tristan Gebbia and tailback Jermar Jefferson.

Alex Cook was named a starter in the secondary last week and Lake was asked about his recruitment. He chuckled and recalled that the junior defensive back was in his office during his official visit and he was a guy they wanted as a defensive back originally, but that he was a player who "slipped through his fingers" and was moved the offensive side of the ball once he got to campus.

He feels like he can be an asset in the secondary and with his ball skills and sure hands, he should help them reach their goal of getting the ball back for the offense.

Lake also spoke on the pluses and minuses with Oregon State playing and Washington not playing this past weekend. Is there an advantage either way?

Washington was supposed to be kicking off their 2020 season later tonight with Cal in Strawberry Canyon, but instead, they will be sitting at home with their fingers crossed that Oregon State will be healthy enough to come to town next week. Instead of focusing on football, we're worried about positive COVID-19 tests, one to be exact, and the percieved political decisions made by the city of Berkeley.

With no game to talk to about, the guys from Dawgman.com instead focused on the games that are still on the schedule and looked at how things could play out with schools like Oregon who is replacing their starting quarterback and the entire offensive line while first-year Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich is going with a true freshman at quarterback to start their season against Oregon State in Corvallis.

The conference will also start the season with a 9 a.m. kickoff between Arizona State and USC. What will that look like and is USC the school to beat in the conference?

Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds touched base with Jackson Moore, the Publisher of California's site on the 247Sports Network, BearTerritory.net. He also covers Fresno State, so the initial talk veered toward the Central Valley because of former UW quarterback Jake Haener. What is the perception of Haener down there so far this season?

Then, the conversation moved toward the Bay Area, where Grinolds and Moore dig into this year's California Golden Bears team, starting with the return of veteran defensive back Camryn Bynum.

Cal is dealing with a new offensive coordinator too, so Moore gives his take on what Cal fans should expect that side of the ball from former Oregon quarterback Bill Musgrave, who had been toiling away as an offensive coach in the NFL the last 15 years or so. They talk about the offensive weapons, including Chase Garbers, Devon Modster, Chris Brown, Wisconsin transfer Bradrick Shaw, Nikko Remigio, Makai Polk, Trevon Clark, and others.

On defense, the Bears lost Evan Weaver and a couple of others that have opted out in Luc Bequette and Tevin Paul, but Moore talks about the guys that would have impacted the game with their 3-4 base defense, including Brett Johnson, Kuony Deng, Cameron Goode, Elijah Hicks, Josh Drayden, and others.

To wrap it up, Grinolds asks Moore how comfortable he'd be feeling if Cal had a 43-yard field goal to win it all? And if UW had been able to pull out a win, what would it take?

It's very disappointing that the game wasn't played, but we really appreciate hearing from Jackson to get his perspective on the Golden Bears. They will definitely be a team to watch when it comes to the battle of the North this fall. 

Jimmy Lake has had a lot on his plate since last December when he was named the head coach of the Husky football program, replacing his mentor, Chris Petersen, who stepped down after five years at the helm of the program.

The first year head coach has had a pandemic to navigate, he's seen schedules posted and cancelled and then reposted by the conference. He's also helped guide his team through a contentious election and a lot of civil unreast. While Lake doesn't shy away from any of those things, knowing that's part of being the leader of a Power 5 program, to say he's looking forward to playing football this weekend against Cal on the road would be an understatement.

Lake addressed the media on Thursday following practice and talked about a number of subjects, but the main focus of the 15-minute Q&A with the media centered on the news that Cal has had one positive case of COVID-19 diagnosed and there have been rumors circling that the game could be in jeopardy.

While he said there's still some concern for those who handle that process, he and his staff and his team are continuing to prep for the game as if it will still be played and he noted that his team has been preparing really well and that they are ready to go once foot meets leather on Saturday night.

Lake also was asked about the "Best Hands In The Room" award that is given three times annually -- at the conclusion of spring camp, at the conclusion of fall camp and at the conclusion of the football season -- and the fact that walk-on corner Mishael Powell, an O'Dea product, wound up winning the award.

He also addressed the progress that Dylan Morris has made as a signal-caller since he first came into the program a little over 18 months ago as well as what makes former walk-on and current scholarship tight end Jack Westover so good.

The media met with Washington Offensive Coordinator John Donovan and Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski Wednesday via zoom to talk about how fall camp finished for the Huskies, certain players because of where they landed on UW's official two-deeps, and also a couple of questions about California, Saturday's opponent.

Donovan answered more questions about the physical nature of his pro-style attack, using a bigger back like Kamari Pleasant - who was listed at the top of the running backs depth chart - and loving the idea of being able to pound the rock behind a huge offensive line. He also talked about his decision to stay on the field to call plays instead of being upstairs (Derham Cato, Payton McCollum, and Jon Rowe will be in the booth) because of the relative inexperience of the quarterback that starts and the ability to communicate directly with them from the sideline.

Kwiatkowski was also asked personnel questions, especially with regards to players like Alex Cook, who was listed as one of No. 1 defensive backs, and also freshman OLB Sav'ell Smalls, the only true freshman listed on the official two-deeps. He was also asked about the work put in to try and get the defense ready to tackle from the jump, how that kind of functional football shape is different than just being in good physical shape, and was also asked about what he expects to see from Cal's first-year offensive coordinator, former Oregon player Bill Musgrave, and how it might differ from what the Huskies saw from former Cal OC Beau Baldwin the last couple of seasons.

Two of Dawgman's interns, Luke Mounger and Jack McCauley, sit down to preview Washington's season-opener, Saturday night's game at California.

They first dig into some initial thoughts about Washington's depth chart that was released Monday. They they move straight into the preview, talking about Cal's offensive playmakers, including QB Chase Garbers, RB Chris Brown, and WR Kekoa Crawford. There's also a breakdown of Cal's receivers versus UW's secondary and the battle of the trenches between Cal's offensive line and UW's defensive front.

Then Luke and Jack move to the other side of the ball and looked at how Cal's defense match up with John Donovan's new pro-style attack. Some of Cal's defensive standouts include LB Kuoy Deng, DB Camryn Bynum, DB Elijah Hicks, and DB Josh Drayden. Will UW be able to run against Cal's front?

The last couple of games have been defensive bloodbaths. Will this year be more of the same? They talk about that and then finish up with a couple of keys from each that will ultimately tell the tale of what the scoreboard looks like at the end of the game, as well as give their level of confidence in a Washington victory.

As with most everything in life, the truth of the matter usually lies somewhere in the middle. And that thought should be kept in mind when looking at Washington official depth chart released for their game at California this coming Saturday night. Because there's a lot of truth on the page, but there's also a lot of creative license sprinkled throughout.

That's where the guys from Dawgman.com come in. Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund take a deep, deep dive into how the positions are listed, the participants involved, and just how true they believe each two-deep spot is in terms of who actually lines up Saturday night in Berkeley.

First, they look at the offensive line, then the tight ends, running backs, and receivers. Then they discuss what they believe to be the reasoning behind the quarterback two-deeps, which is really a four-deep; Ethan Garbers is first, followed by Dylan Morris, Jacob Sirmon, and then Kevin Thomson. Yes, they're listed alphabetically, but they're also listed in terms of eligibility from youngest to oldest. Does it matter? No. The Dawgman guys explain why how they're listed shouldn't be taken seriously, and who they think will be the starting quarterback against the Golden Bears (if they think a quarterback will be out there at all!).

Next, they move to the defense, starting with the defensive front, the outside linebackers, the inside linebackers, and then the secondary. There's a lot less ambiguity on this side of the ball, but that doesn't mean there can't be some mixing and matching taking place, especially in the secondary. Officially, all five positions in UW's nickel base defense are listed as 'defensive backs', which immediately lets you know that the players can be used at almost any position. Alex Cook listed as one of the starters was a bit of a surprise, as much as it was that senior Brandon McKinney wasn't listed in the two-deeps at all. The Dawgman guys take a long look at the secondary to see who they think will break out of the pack, including sophomore Kyler Gordon.

Then they take a quick look at the specialists, including the players (Sean McGrew, Kyler Gordon, Trent McDuffie) listed at the return positions. And where it juco punter Triston Brown? Not seeing him listed with Race Porter was a little surprising.

Last, Scott Eklund gives a quick recruiting update on a current UW commit who got recently hurt and will likely miss the rest of the year. Also, will the Huskies take a look at LSU's Siaki Ika, a player they offered before he committed to the Tigers? Ika recently announced his intent to enter the transfer por ...